Die aligner



May 13, 1952 G. o. coNNl-:R

DIE ALIGNER Filed Nov. 29, 1945 2 SHEETS-SHEET l lll' mmh:

INVEN TOR. O- CONNE? A TTOENE Y May 13, 1952 G. o. coNNER DIE ALIGNER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Nov. 29, 1945 A PNEY Patented May 13, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in die sets, and more particularly to means for assisting and maintaining the alignment of the plates of a die set when the press head and bolster depart from parallelism with each other and the top and bottom faces of the die set itself are out of parallelism.

As is well known to those versed in the art, a press or forming machine is usually provided with a traveling head which is movable toward and away from a bolster, and these elements are usually arranged to carry die parts which perform a forming operation upon a material placed therebetween. In many instances, a die set is used in conjunction with the head and bolster of the press, upon which the die parts are mounted and which thus enables more accurate align ment of the die parts with an increase in life and in quality of the product being produced. The die set may comprise two plates, one of which is secured to the bed or bolster, and the other of which may be provided with a stem which is engaged in a socket in the head, the body of the plate also being secured to the head by screws which extend through the head and are threaded into the plate. Leader pins carried by one plate extend and reciprocate in guides on the other plate, the function being to hold the plates against lateral movement relative to each other and in parallelism with each other.

It sometimes happens that the opposing faces of the head and bolster of the press, upon which the plates are supported and which are supposed to be parallel to each other, depart from parallelism, with the result that the plates of the die sets are thrown out of parallelism and undue strain is placed on the leader pins and guides of the die set.

Heretofore, in an attempt to correct this condition, it has been the practice to insert shim stock between the head or bolster and the plate or plates of the die set. This, as is well known to those versed in the art, is effected by inserting thin pieces of material between the die set and the head or bolster and then clamping the die sets securely to the head and bolster. In some instances wedges are used to effect an alignment. When it is necessary to place more than one shim on top of another in order to obtain the desired alignment, there is always a certain amount of compressibility of the shimsthemselves which cannot be compensated for during the set-up period. In this event, after the die goes into use, the continuous hammering causes the shims to become more compressed and the plates of the die set then gradually become mlsaligned. In the case of Wedges and as is also the case with shims, the complete surface of the die set is not in contact with the head and there are unsupported areas of the die set which are out of contact therewith. This as can well be understood is very undesirable, because the plate of the die set may bend or dex, the wedges may gradually be worked by the continuous hammering, causing them to flatten out with the result that the plates of the die set gradually become niisaligned.

Another disadvantage is that when the faces of the die sets are aligned the socket for the post of the die set may be out of alignment with the result that this provides an additional tendency to pull the die set out of alignment. All of the operations for providing the desired alignment are time consuming and increase the set-up time for readying a press.

By my present invention, I have provided means where head and bolster of a press may be out of parallelism, and the plates of the die set may still be secured in place in their desired parallel position relative to each other, with the result that there is no lateral strain on the leader pins and guides, a better product is formed, and the life of both the die set and dies is materially increased. The invention adapts itself readily to the provision of auxiliary equipment for use with existing dies or to incorporation in new die sets.

The die sets may be placed in the press and by a simple sequence of operations provide perfeet alignment in a minimum amount of time, eliminating the long and tedious cut and try operations for providing alignment which were heretofore necessary.

Although the invention is about to be described, particularly in connection with a conventional press where the head only moves, it will be understood that it may be used in presses wherein both the head and bolster move, and that the description is not to be taken as a limitation as f to where or upon what type of press the invention may be used.

The description is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is an elevational view of a die set with my invention shown thereon in section;

Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken in the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan View of a modified form of the invention;

Preferably, I carry out my invention by providing one or more adjustable contact surfaces for the die set with the press, which surfaces are adjustable to allow the contact surfaces of the die set to seat on the press in the absence of parallelism Vbetween the supporting faces of the head and bolster of the press.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like parts .have been designated by like reference characters and more particularly to Fig. 1, the

upper plate of a die set is illustrated at lil, being i provided with enlargements or ears Il vin which are secured leader pins l2. The lower plate is illustrated at i4, and is shown as provided with guides I5, all of which is conventional in the art.

The upper surface il of the plate lil is formed to provide a curved surface, preferably concavely, and from the center of the concavity there rises a stem i8. The stem I8 is provided with a surface I9 which is spherical in form and upon which is journalled a split sleeve having a complementary face for engagement with the socket of the press head not shown. The sleeve is preferably `made in two parts which are held in place Yby split spring rings 2d disposed in grooves .25 adjacent the upper and lower end thereof.

A member @il is provided for the upper plate iii, having a flat upper surface 3l adapted for engagement with the press head, and a lower convex face 32 having the same radius as the seat I'i.

The member Se may be moved to various positions on the surface il, and its position thereon will determine the position of the face 3| relative to the underface of the plate Ill. The center of the member is formed with a circular opening 33 around which are disposed radially extending openings 31. The openings 34 are so placed that studs 35 which extend through the head of the press may lpass through the openings 34 into threaded openings in the upper plate le for securely holding the plate i6 in position on the head Aofthe press with the member 39 between the plate and the head.

In event that there is any deviation from parallelism between the opposing die set supporting surfaces on thehead and bolster of the press, it will be seen that this deviation would tend to affect the parallelism between the die supporting surfaces on the dieset, placing a strain on the leader pins and guides and causing misalignment of the dies carried thereby.

When such a condition is present in the press, the member 30 may be moved on the plate le to cause the face 3| to take the same angle as the head of the press, it being assumed that the lower plate l is secured to the bolster.

After the member 3B is moved to the desired position, the studs 35 may be tightened to securely hold the plate lll with the member 30 against the head of the press, and at this time, the opposing die supporting faces o the die set are in parallelism with each other, and the leader pins and guides are free from strain. It will thus be seen that with a die aligner of my invention, there can be considerable deviation from parallelism between the opposing faces of the head and bolster, or the faces of the die set itself, and still perfect parallelismrmay be maintained between the die supporting faces. Although I have shown and described the upper plate of the die set as being concave and the lower face of the member 30 as being convex, it is quite within the purview of my invention to have the face of the die set convex and the lower face of the member 30 concave should it be desired.

In Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive, I have shown a modication of my invention wherein the invention -may be applied to conventional die sets.

In this instance, a lower member l0 is provided having fiat surface di for engagement Withthe top of the die set and an upper convex surface i2 providing a seat for the member 30 which mai perform the same function although oppositely curved from that previously described. Both members are provided with the central opening E3 and 33', providing clearance space for the stem of .the die set, except that in this instance, the opening in the lower member 4% need not be as large as that in the upper member because it does not necessarily have to be moved. Likewise, the radial openings for receiving the studs 35 may also be provided.

For cooperation with the stemV of the die set, an adapter bushing illustrated in Fig. 6 is provided and comprises an inner memberiill having a cylindrical bore 5l for engagement with the stem is of the die set plate Iii. The outer surface of the bushing is provided with a spherical surface 52 upon which is seated an outer sleeve The outer sleeve is constructed in a manner like that of .the sleeve 2S in Fig. l, being a split sleeve to permit assembly, and having a cylindrical surface Eil for engagement in the socket of the press.

The member EB can be provided with a shrink it with the stem iS or it may also be split to enable it to more securely clamp the stem when placed in the socket of the press head.

The manner of operation is exactly the same as that described for Fig. l, except, of course, that the plate dil provides the proper surface for the upper plate of the die set and upon which the aligning member 3e may be shifted to provide the desired alignment.

rEhe members 30 and it may have their curvature reversed as described in connection with Fig. l if desired.

Preferably, the device in both embodiments is utilized by placing the die lset with the aligner in position on the head and bolster of the press. Prior to the assembly a film of oil is placed on the concave and convex surfaces. allels are placed between the opposite inner faces of the die set and the press head is moved downward until both surfaces of the die set are engaged with the parallels. During this operation, the concave and convex surfaces of the aligner may slide over each other automatically moving to the position to provide the desired alignment. The same is also true of the sleeve on the stem is. Next, the die set is securely bolted to the head and bolster which causes the aligner parts to be securely clamped in their desiredposition, the parallels and the pressure thereon maintaining the desired alignment. After securing, the parallels may be removed and the press is setup and ready for operation.

It will thus be seen that I have provided an improvement in die sets which enables quicker and more accurate alignment `thereof in a press.

The die aligner of my invention not only corrects the inaccuracies of the press, but inaccuracies` in the die set as well. Although I have described the manner of application as being between the head of the -press Yand the upper plate of the die A pair of paraseaaie set, it will be apparent that the same expedient may be used in connection with the lower plate and the bolster or bed of the press, should it be desired or more convenient. I also contemplate cases where both plates of the die set may be aligned should it be desirable by the application of my invention to both the head and the bolster, and that the invention is also applicable to presses where the die holders are designed to travel in a horizontal path and the leader pins and bushings are substantially parallel to the floor.

Having thus described my invention, I am aware that numerous and extensive departures may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A die aligner for use in maintaining alignment between the die set holding parts of a forming machine and a die set having a stem for engagement with said holding parts, comprising a plate having a at surface for engagement with the die set, a second plate having a ilat surface for engagement with one of the die set holding parts of the forming machine, said plates being formed with complementary spherically curved surfaces for engagement with each other and movable laterally in any direction to provide universal adjustment relative to each other to adjust the alignment of the fiat surfaces and bushing means comprising an outer member engaged with said holding parts and an inner member surrounding and engaging said stem, said inner and outer parts having cooperating spherical surfaces around said stem whereby said stem is adjustable relative to said holding parts.

2. For use with a forming machine having parts for holding a die set, said die set having a cylindrical stem for engagement in a socket on the forming machine, means to maintain alignment of the die set parts in the presence of out of parallelism of supporting parts on the forming machine, comprising a pair of plates adapted to be interposed between the die set and the supporting surface on the forming machine, said plates having juxtaposed curved surfaces extending over a substantial portion thereof, said plates being formed with a central opening to allow the passage of said stem, the opening in one of said plates being sufficiently large to allow lateral shifting of said plate in any direction about said stem between the other plate and the supporting surface on the forming machine, said plates being formed with a plurality of openings extending radially and spaced from said central opening, said openings being sufficiently large to permit free passage of the securing means for securing the die set to the forming machine and to permit free lateral movement of said plate in all directions and bushing means comprising an outer member engaging said socket and formed with a spherical surface, and an inner member engaging said stem formed with a spherical surface in co-operative engagement with said surface on said first member whereby said stem is adjustable relative to said socket.

3. For use with a forming machine having parts for holding a die set, said die set having a stem for engagement in a socket on the forming 6 machine, means to maintain alignment of the die set parts in the presence of out of parallelism of supporting parts on the forming machine, comprising a pair of plates adapted to be interposed between the die set and the supporting surface on the forming machine, said plates having juxtaposed spherically curved surfaces extending over a substantial portion thereof, said plates being formed with a central opening to allow the passage of said stem, the opening in one of said plates being suciently large to allow lateral shifting of said plate in any direction about said stem between the other plate and the supporting surface on the forming machine, said plates being formed with a plurality of openings extending radially and spaced from said central opening, said openings being sufficiently large to permit free passage of the securing means for securing the die set to the forming machine and to permit free lateral movement of said plate in all directions, an adapter for permitting said stem to tilt in said socket on the forming machine comprising a spherical surface for said stem, a split bushing having a complementary surface seated on said spherical surface and spring means to retain said bushing on said stem, said bushing being formed with a cylindrical surface for engagement in said socket.

4. In a die set having at least one part formed with a stem adapted to be held in a socket in a forming machine; apparatus of the class described for maintaining parallelism between said part of the die set and said forming machine comprising; a plate engaging said forming machine and formed with a spherical surface engaging a cooperating spherical surface on said one part, and a bushing engaging said socket, said bushing being formed with a spherical surface surrounding said stem and engaging a cooperating spherical surface on said stem, said plate and bushing thereby allowing universal adjustment of said die set part relative to said forming machine, and clamping means engaged between said die set and said forming machine to hold said die set in its adjusted position.

5. A die set adjustment means as in claim 4 in which the cooperating spherical surfaces on said one part and said stem are formed on integral parts thereof.

GUY O. CONNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 353,189 White Nov. 23, 11886 610,524 Cleveland Sept. 131, 1898 1,780,432 McGregor Nov. 4, 1930 1,883,796 King Oct. 18, 1932 1,987,726 Wilkerson Jan. 15, 1935 2,009,660 Irmis July 30 1935 2,219,385 Ernst Oct. 29, 1940 2,445,574 Grunow July 20, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 423,198 France 1911 

